Destination Earth DESP Use Cases: DestinE Sea Ice Decision Enhancement (DESIDE) Use Case Descripton D5.2

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EUROPEAN SPACE AGENCY CONTRACT REPORT
The work described in this report was done under ESA contract. Responsibility for the contents resides in the author or organization that prepared it.

EOX IT Services GmbH
Thurngasse 8/4, 1090 Vienna, Austria.
eox.at
AMENDMENT HISTORY

This document shall be amended by releasing a new edition of the document in its entirety.
The Amendment Record Sheet below records the history and issue status of this document.

Table 1. Amendment Record Sheet
ISSUE DATE REASON

0.1

11/12/2023

Initial in-progress draft

1.0

12/12/2023

First released version

1.1

19/09/2024

Second released version

1. Introduction

1.1. Purpose and Scope

This document represents the Use Case Descriptor (UCD) for the Destination Earth DESP Use Cases: DestinE Sea Ice Decision Enhancement (DESIDE) project 8482 with ESA contract 4000140320/23/I-NS.

1.2. Structure of the Document

Chapter 2, Overview

This section provides an overview of the Destination Earth DESP Use Cases: DestinE Sea Ice Decision Enhancement (DESIDE).

1.3. Reference Documents

The following is a list of Applicable and Reference Documents with a direct bearing on the content of this document.

Reference Document Details Version

[SOW]

Statement of Work Destination Earth DESP Use Cases selection - Round 1
Reference: CS301353.Docref.0002

1.0

[Proposal]

Proposal No. 8482: DestinE Sea Ice Decision Enhancement (DESIDE)

1.1
06/06/2023

1.4. Terminology

The following terms have been used in this document.

Term Meaning

Admin

User with administrative capabilities on a platform.

Code

The codification of an algorithm performed with a given programming language - compiled to Software or directly executed (interpreted) within the platform.

Discovery

User finds products/services of interest to them based upon search criteria.

Interactive Web Application

An Interactive Application for analysis provided as a rich user interface through the user’s web browser.

Key-Value Pair

A key-value pair (KVP) is an abstract data type that includes a group of key identifiers and a set of associated values. Key-value pairs are frequently used in lookup tables, hash tables and configuration files.

Object Store

A computer data storage architecture that manages data as objects. Each object typically includes the data itself, a variable amount of metadata, and a globally unique identifier.

Products

EO data (commercial and non-commercial) and Value-added products.

Software

The compilation of code into a binary program to be executed within the platform on-line computing environment.

User

An individual using the services.

Visualization

To obtain a visual representation of any data/products held within the platform - presented to the user within their web browser session.

Web Coverage Service (WCS)

OGC standard that provides an open specification for sharing raster datasets on the web.

Web Feature Service (WFS)

OGC standard that makes geographic feature data (vector geospatial datasets) available on the web.

Web Map Service (WMS)

OGC standard that provides a simple HTTP interface for requesting geo-registered map images from one or more distributed geospatial databases.

Web Map Tile Service (WMTS)

OGC standard that provides a simple HTTP interface for requesting map tiles of spatially referenced data using the images with predefined content, extent, and resolution.

Web Processing Services (WPS)

OGC standard that defines how a client can request the execution of a process, and how the output from the process is handled.

1.5. Glossary

The following acronyms and abbreviations have been used in this document.

Term Definition

ADD

Architecture Design Document

AOI

Area of Interest

API

Application Programming Interface

COG

Cloud optimized GeoTiff

EO

Earth Observation

EOX

EOX IT Services GmbH

ESA

European Space Agency

FUSE

Filesystem in Userspace

ICD

Interface Control Document

JSON

JavaScript Object Notation

KVP

Key-value Pair

M2M

Machine-to-machine

OGC

Open Geospatial Consortium

PMP

Project Management Plan

REST

Representational State Transfer

SDD

Software Design Document

SFTP

Secure File Transfer Protocol

SRF

Software Reuse File

SRN

Software Release Note

SRP

Software Release Plan

SRS

Software Requirements Specification

SSH

Secure Shell

STAC

Spatio-Temporal Asset Catalog

SUM

Software User Manual

SVVP

Software Verification and Validation Plan

SVVR

Software Verification and Validation Report

TOI

Time of Interest

UMA

User-Managed Access

US

User Story

WCS

Web Coverage Service

WFS

Web Feature Service

WMS

Web Map Service

WMTS

Web Map Tile Service

WPS

Web Processing Service

WPS-T

Transactional Web Processing Service

2. Overview

Polar View Earth Observation Limited is working in collaboration with EOX IT Services, Drift+Noise Polar Services, the Danish Meteorological Institute, the Norwegian Meteorological Institute, and the Finnish Meteorological Institute to develop a fully functional Use Case that utilizes the DESP/DestinE system capabilities and data and adds value to meet the needs of policy and decision makers who require information on the past, current, and forecasted sea ice and other relevant conditions for operational purposes in the Baltic Sea, European Arctic Ocean, and the rest of the polar regions.

The Use Case will build on and complement existing operational and climate sea ice products and services including those provided by the Copernicus Marine Service, the national Ice Services, the ESA Polar Thematic Exploitation Platform (Polar TEP), and the commercial Drift+Noise IcySea app. The Use Case will augment and improve on the current offerings by:

  • Aggregating information of different types and from different sources to provide common products that span jurisdictional boundaries.

  • Producing new products that will improve the ability of users to make good decisions.

  • Making the products available in ways and means that are appropriate for the skills and requirements of different user communities.

One driver for the project is the regulation of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) of the United Nations mandating that ships operating in the polar regions meet certain requirements (the Polar Code). Among other things, the Polar Code specifies a range of information that ships traveling in polar waters are required to access for planning and operations. The Use Case will demonstrate the value of short and medium-term forecasts of sea ice, meteorological, and ocean conditions suitable for strategic and tactical decision making by ships and their owners.

A second driver for the project is the effect of climate change on polar conditions that will impact long-term planning and policy development for polar operations such as fishing, tourism, scientific research campaigns, oil and gas development, and supplying northern communities. The Use Case will deliver long-term forecasts of how changing sea ice and other conditions will affect where different types of ships will be able to travel in the polar regions compared to historical averages.

Benefits to polar operations and the rest of society will include increased safety of life and property, decreased pollution, and protection of sensitive environmental areas.

3. Use cases

3.1. Introduction

Use cases are focused on input and output with the process in between described. The main focus is on stakeholder use and requirements.

3.2. Climate perspective

Table 2. Use Case description for AMAP.

Name

Pan-Arctic and regional sea ice climate indicators

Last updated

2024-02-14

Last updated by

Øystein Godøy

Goal

To provide an integrated dataset combining sea ice climate indicators based on observations (e.g. EUMETSAT Ocean and Sea Ice SAF) and climate model projections. These indicators should be available Pan Arctic as well as regional indicators for specific areas. Accompanying this will be a web service allowing users to interactively play with various regions and projections. The combination of observed and projected indicators will help establish trust in projections. This web service can be integrated in AMAP defined dashboards which they are developing.

Actors

  • AMAP secretariat (Pan-Arctic and regional levels)

  • Norwegian Directorate for Environment (is interested in the regions in the European part of the Arctic)

  • DESIDE sea ice climate experts

  • DESIDE service development expert

Pre-conditions

  1. EUMETSAT Sea Ice SAF Sea Ice Climate Products (https://osi-saf.eumetsat.int/products/sea-ice-products OSI-430-a, OSI-450-a, OSI-455, OSI-458) available in DEDL/DESP.

  2. EUMETSAT Ocean and Sea Ice SAF Sea Ice Index (https://osi-saf.eumetsat.int/products/sea-ice-products OSI-420) available in DEDL/DESP.

  3. Selected IPCC CMIP model sea ice output is available in DEDL/DESP for processing into indicators.

  4. MET sea ice indicator visualisation tool is available (e.g. https://cryo.met.no/en/sea-ice-index-monthly, daily and monthly setup exist today) for integration in dashboard of choice of the stakeholder.

Post-conditions

  1. An integrated/combined dataset of sea ice climate indicators based on observations and model simulations.

  2. The above mentioned dataset available in the sea ice indicator tool mentioned above, available for integration in user defined dashboards.

Normal flow

  1. The stakeholder community through AMAP identifies an area of interest.

  2. The visualisation tool integrated in the AMAP defined dashboard is launched.

  3. Within the visualisation tool the user can compare historical (based on observations) sea ice indicators with future projections (based on carefully selected climate model scenarios) in order to establish a trust in future projections based on historical performance.

Notes and issues

  1. Need to define whether sea ice drift should be part of the use case.

  2. This use case is based on previous elaborations through the SUDARCO project focusing on trustworthy climate projections for 2050 in the Gakkel ridge area in the Arctic Ocean.

  3. The sea ice climate experts has to define which climate models that are trustworthy concerning sea ice projections in the areas of interest.

  4. Ask AMAP whether they want to use dashboards developed by DESIDE.

  5. Ask AMAP which regional indicators they want.

3.3. Baltic Sea

Table 3. Use Case description for the Baltic Sea.

Name

Baltic Sea icebreaker management.

Last updated

2024-03-08

Last updated by

Marko Mäkynen

Goal

Provide sea ice information for the Baltic Sea icebreaker management by Finnish Transport Infrastructure Agency (FTIA). The needed sea ice information includes ice movement observations using both buoys and radars as well as forecasts of sea-ice movement and compression, and volume and deformation characteristics of sea ice.

Actors

  • Finnish Meteorological Institute

  • Finnish Transport Infrastructure Agency

  • DESIDE software development experts

  • DESIDE service development expert

Pre-conditions

The following data sets need to be available via the DESP platform: SAR based ice drift and forecasted ice drift from Copernicus Marine Service (CMEMS). Sea ice thickness, SAR and icechart based and forecasted, from CMEMS

Post-conditions

Combined dataset of sea ice information based on satellite observations and model simulations available. Validate sea ice data based on ship data/feedback. Include datasets into the various DESIDE platforms e.g. Polar Dashboard.

Normal flow

  1. Provide FTIA with access to a selected DESIDE platform.

  2. Collect and analyze feedback on the data usability, accuracy, etc.

Notes and issues

The Finnish Transport Infrastructure Agency (FTIA) has the responsibility of arranging icebreaking services to Finnish winter ports. The agency procures icebreaking services from service providers. Furthermore, FTIA sets assistance restrictions to Finnish ports and coordinates the use of icebreaking resources. FTIA acts in close coordination with the Swedish Maritime Administration (SMA) regarding icebreaking in the Gulf of Bothnia.

Currently FTIA uses FMI’s ice charts and forecasts as well as the HELMI SEA-ice model and the satellite and ice radar images. From their viewpoint the most interesting developments to products would be a better coverage for ice movement observations using both buoys and radars as well as forecasts of sea-ice movement and compression. In addition, information concerning the volume and deformation characteristics of sea ice, if possible divided by the sea area, are important.

The FTIA and SMA have jointly developed an icebreaker management and information sharing system where ice and weather data it utilized by winter navigation authorities, icebreakers, and other winter navigation operators. Any services that can be used via the IBNet-system, would provide the most added value to FTIA. Ilmanet is also a valuable resource.

3.4. Ships in ice

Table 4. Use Case description for AWI, Ponant and others.

Name

Use case: Ships in ice

Last updated

2024-09-25

Last updated by

Jakob Buenger

Goal

Provide navigation-relevant, high temporal and spatial resolution sea ice information products to ice going ships. The data needs to be delivered in an easy-to-use user-friendly way which provides interpretation help and allows for easy decision-making even without expert sea ice knowledge. Due to the dynamic nature of moving sea ice, forecasts of the variable conditions are oftentimes mission-critical as well. Account for user-specific ice information needs:

  • Research ship data support:

    • for long transits (strategic planning)

    • very short term tactical navigation to fulfill research goals

    • high update frequency

  • Expedition Cruise ship data support:

    • for long transits

    • tactical planning

    • data handling as easy as possible (crews with limited scientific background)

Actors

  • Alfred Wegener Institute Helmholtz Center for Polar and Marine Research (Research Institute operating the Icebreaker Polarstern)

  • Ponant (Expedition Cruise Operator)

  • Various other partners of Drift+Noise that haven’t been mentioned in the proposal specifically

  • DESIDE software development experts

  • DESIDE ice consultant (Drift+Noise)

Pre-conditions

The following data sets need to be available via the DESP platform:

Post-conditions

  1. Added value data sets (morphed images)

  2. Create intermediate data sets (drift forecast trajectories)

  3. Validate morphed images based on ship data/feedback

  4. Include above-mentioned data set into the various DESIDE platforms e.g. PolarTEP

  5. Include RCM and ice charts in IcySea

Normal flow

  1. Provide users with preliminary access to the various DESIDE platforms

  2. Collect their feedback

  3. Implement feedback

Notes and issues

  • Implementation into IcySea (contract issue), IcySea code won’t be shared

  • Define areas of interest:

    • AWI: Arctic-wide

    • Ponant: special interest in data for the journey to the North Pole

  • Connect local ship data with image processor

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